It was so common as to be the norm only a few years back. Now it is frowned upon. What am I talking about? How about this: Electric receptacles (outlets) installed over the top of electric baseboard heaters. It seems like every 60's and 70's house that I see, if there are baseboards, the receptacle will be right over the top of the heater. The problem, if one thinks about it, it pretty apparent. People tend to drape lamp and other appliance cords over the heaters -- which get hot inside -- and this will at best cause the insulation on the wires to deteriorate. At worst, if the cord really gets down inside the heater, it can lead to serious damage to the cord or even a short-circuit if insulation burns off a cheap lamp cord. What do people do about it? Well, my experience is that most people live with it and try to route the cord away from the front of the heater. Otherwise, they could do the best thing and have an electrician move either the receptacles or the heaters. Thanks for stopping by, Steven L. Smith
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